Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W auto-backs up electric car camera footage to NAS
A Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W-based open-source tool automatically extracts and backs up footage from a specific electric car's internal cameras to any NAS, with resume capability and local-only data control.
Summary
Developer [Sasha] has released an open-source system that plugs a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W into a glovebox USB port to automatically back up camera footage from their electric car to a network-attached storage device. The software supports multiple NAS protocols, tracks sync state, resumes interrupted transfers if the car drives away, and deletes car-internal copies once verified on the NAS. A package for other Raspberry Pi boards is also available, though the project currently targets one specific electric car make.
How the backup system works
- Hardware: Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W connects directly to a USB port in the car's glovebox; other Pi models supported via alternate package
- NAS connectivity: Supports multiple protocols for connecting to any NAS
- Resilience: Automatically resumes interrupted backups if the car drives away before completion
- Storage management: Deletes files from car's internal drives once successfully synced to NAS
- Data sovereignty: All data stays on the local network unless user explicitly configures cloud backup
- Scope limitation: Designed for one specific electric car; other makes/models require adaptation
Why it matters
The project demonstrates a practical path for owners of locked-down electric vehicles to reclaim access to their own sensor data using open hardware, and may inspire similar reverse-engineering efforts for other car platforms.
Original reference: hackaday.com →